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I believe it's like July 15th, and he might have a partial or full NTC. Altherr and/or Williams are more likely trade targets, since their salaries and control are not prohibitive to any team. Of course, the Phillies have no pressing needs right now, either. Maybe a fifth SP, but it's not urgent...

True. The “trash” is still going to win an average of about twice in every five games and will still have 25 MLB-caliber players on the roster, all of whom are better at baseball than any of us are at anything...

For me, it’s 1) Does Boston get another reliever? 2) Do the Sox replace the lost 2b depth and try to fill Cora’s desire for a defensive 3b? 3) Do the Sox try to expand outfield depth or SS depth? Admittedly, there isn’t much left for SS..

Ths might reinvigorate a little alte action into a dull off-season. The Phillies are already 4 deep in the outfield before signing Harper. At least one and maybe two of McCutchen, Altherr, or Williams could be moved. The could move Odubel Cabrera also, but that doesn't open up a corner slot.

I saw that. Good for him I do think it's time Double D went back into the pool and grabbed another minor league free agent signing or two. And maybe - just maybe - signed a reliever to an MLB contract...

Biggest difference is probably John Henry has to switch from imported caviar to domestic for a few months....

Oh come on. I turned Bryce Brentz into a video game cover and asked you if you wanted the same losing side to the argument again this year? A bit over the top in the arrogance department for me, but clearly attempted humor. Also, Bryce Brentz is not a major leaguer...

Hey I thought he was worthless a year ago. But hey, now it’s 214 PCL at bats later and this guy is ready for the cover art on “The Show 2020”...

Atlanta? Chicago (either)? Minnesota?

Per MLBTR, Harper is in “deep negotiations” with Philadelphia. It was only a mere 5 weeks ago Philly was going to make him an actual offer. Nice to see everyone getting around to negotiating it...

It seems to me he’s only hated by fans and Jesus Aguilar. Even Pedroia says nice things about him...

Yeah. Bryce Brentz. Do we really need to rehash the Bryce Brentz “not a major leaguer/no really at 30 years old he’s still young enough to improve” argument? And do you want to take the same losing side again this year?

Ellsbury was hardly a flash in the pan. He had a very good career for Boston. New York just gave him too many years...

Let’s not pretend Lin is a star ready to bust out. His ceiling is Ed Jurak. Still think the Sox could help their depth with some minor league deals, like Logan Forsythe, Carlos Gomez, and maybe beat Cincy to the punch for Iglesias. Also don’t forget about Gorkys in the outfield. I’d think he’d be higher on the depth chart than Brentz...

Justin Turner also has the same injury and surgery as Pedroia and Wright and didn’t miss a beat...

Ummm ... actually they won 90 games and then non-tendered CJ Cron...

I think the Rays are the only team in MLB history to non-tender their cleanup hitter...

So the NL is LAD or no one? No Braves or Nationals or Brewers?

Shocking. Sorry to hear...

In retrospect, the most obvious trade partner is the Tigers, as they currently have only one catcher on their 40 man roster, a 27yo rookie named Greyson Greinger. And Dombrowski should have some familiarity with a few of the names in their farm system or on their staff...

The Washington Pregnant Teenagers. DC is the teen pregnancy capital of the USA, after all. The Houston Strip Clubs. They might need to tone down the mascot. The Tampa Retirees. And they can have a rivalry with The Arizon Retirees The Texas Annoying People Who Always Remind You How Big Everything In Texas Is. Sure it’s a tad cumbersome, but it’s also the biggest name. The Detroit Auto Workers, but they play their home games in Mexico City...

From what I’ve read, the Mariners want someone that can go to the minors if need be. This disqualifies all 3 Sox catchers...

Now the public statement by Dombrowski is he wants to trade a catcher for “starter depth” to protect against Sale and/or Porcello leaving. The more I think about this, the more I realize this has to be a red herring. The Sox are NOT going to get protection for one of 9-10 fWAR worth of starting pitchers by trading any of their three backup catchers. Dombrowski can’t be this naive. The man has probably negotiated over 100 trades in his MLB career and must have a better notion of how other GMs value players. So this must be a negotiating ploy to add to the bullpen. But even then, what can they get for any of them? I figure the best matches might be: 1) Blake Swihart to Miami for Tayron Guerrero. Guerrero is a 28yo career minor leaguer who throws about 99mph but has battled some control. Sort of like Ryan Brasier. Miami has no urgent need for Swihart, but a 27yo backup catcher with experience at multiple positions can’t hurt a rebuilding franchise, who has the time to see if he can ever regain top prospect form. 2) Christian Vazquez to Atlanta for Aroldis Vizcaino. The Braves are reportedly looking for a closer , which means they don’t think the oft-injured Vizcaino is the guy. The money is roughly equal, and Vizcaino still throws about 97mph on his healthy days. The big obstacle is the Braves might not view catcher as their biggest need. 3) Vazquez to Oakland for Fernando Rodney. Oakland has only Josh Phegley and Chris Hermann on their 40-man roster as catchers, and both are older than Vazquez and probably shown the world their ceilings. The A’s are loaded at bullpen, and 42 year old Rodney, who got his start at closer under Dombrowski, is probably expendable. Money is about the same. The downside for Oakland is they do have Sean Murphy as one of their best prospects ready to step in at catcher. Personally I am no fan of Rodney and his propensity for walking hitters, but he has had a good career and still routinely tops 95mph. 4) Blake Swihart to Oakland for Frankie Montas. When not overstocking his team with 1b and CF, Beane does have a habit of acquiring versatile players. Former Sox prospect Montas is out of options and hasn’t forced his way into the rotation as many hoped he would. Swihart doesn’t create the same logjam in Oakland that Vazquez would. Montas and his 97mph fastball (a trait Dombrowski historically loves) could slide into the Sox pen this year and become a starter option in 2020. His projected 0.9 fWAR doesn’t make him look much more valuable than Swihart. Thoughts?

My best Vlad Guerrero joke was when he got in trouble after a fight with a police officer. Friend: Hey did you hear about that baseball player who threw a punch at a cop? Me: Yeah. That was Vlad Guerrero. He’ll swing at anything... Rimshot

I do wonder how good Tampa really is. They were 54-53 on July 31 before going on a 36-19 stretch to end the season. Are they going to be the April-July team or the one from the last two months? September records can be deceiving because of roster expansion and how it inundates the league with players who may not be major league caliber at the time...